Possibly an interesting question

MrPudding

So I was reading Empire magazine and there was a article about the directors of The Book of Eli and it got me thinking...

Obviously it is unlikely to happen, but suppose you found yourself, after some event that all but wiped out society, with what is probably the last surviving copy of the bible, what would you do with it.

From what I have read there is a spiritual element to the film, but in absence of some mystical force, what would you do?

MrP

GLaDOS

MrPudding wrote: »

Obviously it is unlikely to happen, but suppose you found yourself, after some event that all but wiped out society, with what is probably the last surviving copy of the bible, what would you do with it.

Well you need something to start a fire when all the fuel runs out...

Permabear

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Ghost Buster

donegalfella wrote: »

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I just think I would have a slightly coarse but practical solution to an absense of lavatory paper.
BUt no but yeah but I would destroy it for the sake of future generations. A fine opportunity for a fresh start!

The Mad Hatter

donegalfella wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Same as everyone else who's ever gotten their hands on it, then.

liamw

I'd stack it next to the Koran in the Ancient Mythology section of the library.

Or else I'd put it on display in a museum so people in the future could laugh at how primitive humans used to be to believe all that stuff, and then proceed to stratch their heads when they hear some people still believed it in the 21st century.

Dave!

It depends, would there be any doors that need to be propped open? Any pieces of paper that need to be weighed down?

dvpower

Keep it. And claim to be the central character.

robindch

MrPudding wrote: »

the last surviving copy of the bible, what would you do with it.

Burn it as fast as I could.

But I suspect I'd feel a bit like John Connor -- denying the world a threat that it would never know existed.

Mickeroo

robindch wrote: »

Burn it as fast as I could.

But I suspect I'd feel a bit like John Connor -- denying the world a threat that it would never know existed.

I can see your big geeky eyes glazing over as you typed that.

Goduznt Xzst

Hmm... I'd probably graph it something like this

MrPudding

There really would be some excellent, selfish reasons for keeping it around. Setting up your own cult and ruling the survivors would be a great one.

MrP

liamw

You wouldn't need the Bible to set up your cult though. I guess it would be handy as a framework, as you can't deny it's success in indoctrination.

ChocolateSauce

It really would be fitting to destroy it. But it would also be fitting to put it in a museam. I'm really not sure what to do about it.

Dravokivich

MrPudding wrote: »

Obviously it is unlikely to happen, but suppose you found yourself, after some event that all but wiped out society, with what is probably the last surviving copy of the bible, what would you do with it.

What use would the last version of a book have for me after the shít has hit the fan?

I'd be more concerned with finding whiskey... cigars... loose women... non-radioactive cows...

- Drav!

Pompey Magnus

I would save it, like it or hate it the Bible has been the single most important book in shaping western civilization. It would be a tragedy to lose it as a historical document, it would be like intentionally destroying the last remaining manuscript of Plato's Republic just because you didn't agree with it.

ChocolateSauce

MrPudding wrote: »

So I was reading Empire magazine and there was a article about the directors of The Book of Eli and it got me thinking...

Obviously it is unlikely to happen, but suppose you found yourself, after some event that all but wiped out society, with what is probably the last surviving copy of the bible, what would you do with it.

From what I have read there is a spiritual element to the film, but in absence of some mystical force, what would you do?

MrP

tbh, if I found myself in possession of a miraclously complete bible after say. the rapture, I'd probably take the hint and convert.

strobe

Really am very surprised at people saying they would burn it ect. I wouldn't have thought the concept of book burning would sit well with atheists regardless of the subject matter.

Personally I'd add a page at the start detailing how it is a collection of short fictions and opinions written by various credited and unknown authors, open Genesis with the acknowlegement "To the human imagination and those gone before us that strived to explain the things they could not yet comprehend however misguided time proved them to be" and close Revelations with something along the lines of "As superstition, the abuse of power and the corruption of belief has played a part in bringing mankind to it's knees: Let reason, compassion and the rejection of control through fear and indoctrination allow us to rise again all the more free for it".

iUseVi

strobe wrote: »

Personally I'd add a page at the start detailing how it is a collection of short fictions and opinions written by various credited and unknown authors, open Genesis with the acknowlegement "To the human imagination and those gone before us that strived to explain the things they could not yet comprehend however misguided time proved them to be" and close Revelations with something along the lines of "As superstition, the abuse of power and the corruption of belief has played a part in bringing mankind to it's knees: Let reason, compassion and the rejection of control through fear and indoctrination allow us to rise again all the more free for it".

That's not a bad idea. Personally I might file it the fairy tale section and add a line at the beginning: "Once upon a time, far far away........"

Ghost Buster

iUseVi wrote: »

That's not a bad idea. Personally I might file it the fairy tale section and add a line at the beginning: "Once upon a time, far far away........"

Ok smarty pants. Whadda ya do about the lack of loo paper so :P

Antbert

strobe wrote: »

Really am very surprised at people saying they would burn it ect. I wouldn't have thought the concept of book burning would sit well with atheists regardless of the subject matter.

Me too... I wouldn't burn it. Just put it in my Ancient Fiction section in my new library i'll build. That will have lots of Douglas Adams books in it.

"Do you have any Cecilia Ahern?" They'll ask.
"No, but I have 468 copies of HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

MrPudding

Antbert wrote: »

Me too... I wouldn't burn it. Just put it in my Ancient Fiction section in my new library i'll build. That will have lots of Douglas Adams books in it.

"Do you have any Cecilia Ahern?" They'll ask.
"No, but I have 468 copies of HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

I personally have an issue with book burning. I really don't know what I would do with it. It could be an amazing social experiment either way.

MrP

iUseVi

MrPudding wrote: »

I personally have an issue with book burning. I really don't know what I would do with it. It could be an amazing social experiment either way.

MrP

Depends on the books. If its some random glamour models' ramblings then IMO meh. Thats what is so great about the internet, its really hard to decimate human knowledge now.

Obviously if its the only copy left and it has not been digitalised then thats different.

Antbert

I wouldn't even condone burning Jordon's biography. The whole idea just irks me.

Dades

Antbert wrote: »

I wouldn't even condone burning Jordon's biography. The whole idea just irks me.

20 odd double-spaced pages wouldn't keep you warm for long anyway.

Goduznt Xzst

On second thoughts, depending on the thickness of the bibles bindings I may very well put a chain around it and use it as my weapon of choice when I'm called upon to fight in the Thunderdome. Could call myself "The Bible Basher" or something to that effect.

"And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you." will be my motto.

Undergod

No way would I burn it. Seems awful to destroy the last copy of anything, particularly as significant as that. I would try preserve it.

fitz0

I suppose I'd rename god as the Almighty Dawkins and Jesus as Christopher Hitchens. The I would spread the good word to the lost souls looking for guidance.

Oh the irony.

Zillah

I don't burn books.

The Bible has anthropological relevance. I would perhaps seal it away to be found by a later and more level headed generation. If I can, I'll put a disclaimer on the front explaining it as a work of primitive fiction that should be put in their new library's history section.

Also, be damned to you knee-jerk fools who say they would burn it. Man will make up stories to soothe his existential angst, that's almost impossible to prevent. Perhaps if we preserve our knowledge of religions past and with them the lessons we have learned we could avoid making them again.

Daftendirekt

Probably give it to a museum or something.

antiskeptic

MrPudding wrote: »

.. suppose you found yourself, after some event that all but wiped out society, with what is probably the last surviving copy of the bible, what would you do with it.

"Dort, wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man am Ende auch Menschen"

Heinrich Hein.

Flamed Diving

I would destroy it.

iUseVi

Meh I don't get the point in destroying it. Personal satisfaction for a couple of minutes?

Personally I'd get more satisfaction by sitting on the ground reading it, whilst rocking back and forth and laughing maniacally at the sheer ludicrousness of it.

Mwahahahaha. Ha.

Galvasean

If we're talking post-apocalytic like in The Road I'll be having more pressing matters to be concerned about than some old book (starving, getting eaten by other people etc.).
Discard the dead weight.

krudler

I'd do some serious editing, it could do with some dinosaurs in it,everything is made instantly better by the presence of at least one dinosaur, its a proven fact. Maybe Jesus could fight a dinosaur to prove his jesus powers to the simple minded folk, look if they were so amazed by him turning water into wine then an almight smackdown with a T-Rex should blow their tiny minds

robindch

Zillah wrote: »

The Bible has anthropological relevance.

And so does The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, but that doesn't mean that a significant portion of the population isn't going to be taken in by it.

Zillah wrote: »

I would perhaps seal it away to be found by a later and more level headed generation. If I can, I'll put a disclaimer on the front explaining it as a work of primitive fiction that should be put in their new library's history section.

Your faith in the perfectability of man is inspiring, but misplaced. I see no reason why it, or some derivative work in the style of the subject of Walter Miller's brilliant A Canticle For Leibowitz, should not rise to haunt the dreams of future generations.

Zillah wrote: »

Also, be damned to you knee-jerk fools who say they would burn it. Man will make up stories to soothe his existential angst, that's almost impossible to prevent.

Aye, but christianity seems to have invented, or at least most profited from, the two baleful ideas that (a) humans are broken, damaged creatures, especially the unworthy unbelievers and (b) the circular notion that spreading the religion is the proven, sacred duty of every believer. History has shown that humanity cannot deal rationally with these ideas in the short term, and without killing people in the longer term.

Burn the damn thing and be done with it.

doctoremma

MrPudding wrote: »

So I was reading Empire magazine and there was a article about the directors of The Book of Eli and it got me thinking...

Obviously it is unlikely to happen, but suppose you found yourself, after some event that all but wiped out society, with what is probably the last surviving copy of the bible, what would you do with it.

From what I have read there is a spiritual element to the film, but in absence of some mystical force, what would you do?

MrP

Books have souls. When you hurt them, they cry. I can't even bring myself to offload my pile-of-crap chick lit holiday books, let alone burn something as important as the last surviving bible. But like others have said, it would be kept in the mythology section.

Goduznt Xzst

Zillah wrote: »

I would perhaps seal it away to be found by a later and more level headed generation. If I can, I'll put a disclaimer on the front explaining it as a work of primitive fiction that should be put in their new library's history section.

... said the men as they squirreled away their parchments on the north shore of the Dead Sea.

Antbert

IF you were the last person on earth, burning it holds the same significance as burning the last remaining copy of PS I Love You. Satisfying, but ultimately pointless as future generations will have no idea that it was even intended not to be fiction.